Lenovo Legion R27fc-30 review: A 240Hz display for under $200!

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Budget gaming monitors just keep getting better, and refresh rate is one of several areas where they’re pushing forward. The Lenovo Legion R27fc-30 has a refresh rate of 240Hz, yet typically retails for less than $200. That’s less than a buck a hertz!

Lenovo Legion R27fc-30 specs and features

The Lenovo Legion R27fc-30’s basic specifications are typical for a budget monitor. It has a 27-inch widescreen display panel with a resolution of 1920×1080. Refresh rate is the monitor’s most alluring specification, as it can reach up to 240Hz (or 280Hz in the overclock mode).

• Display size: 27-inch 16:9 curved widescreen
• Native resolution: 1920×1080
• Panel type: Vertical Alignment (VA) 8-bit
• Refresh rate: Up to 240Hz, up to 280Hz (overclocked)
• Adaptive sync: AMD FreeSync Premium Pro
• HDR: Yes
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x 3.5mm audio-out
• VESA mount: Yes, 100x100mm
• Speakers: 2x 3-watt speakers
• Price: $229.99 MSRP / $149.99 typical

The Legion R27fc-30 has a “value” of $229.99 (Lenovo’s version of MSRP) but is currently sold for $194.99 and appears to sell below $200 frequently. That makes it one of the less expensive 240Hz gaming monitors available.

Further reading: See our roundup of the best gaming monitors to learn about competing products.

Lenovo Legion R27fc-30 design

Lenovo’s Legion R27fc-30 leans heavily into a gaming-centric design, which often works to the monitor’s detriment. From the front, the panel is standard, featuring slim bezels on three sides and a small chin at the bottom. Turning the monitor around reveals a plain expanse of smooth, matte black plastic that feels unremarkable. It’s no Pixio PX248 Wave, but the Legion R27fc-30’s panel design is fine for the price point.

The stand is where things start to falter. Lenovo opts for a wide stand with a design reminiscent of a steel truss. Unfortunately, the materials used are obviously plastic rather than metal, which gives away the monitor’s budget pricing. The stand also takes up a lot of desk space, and while the base is technically flat, its truss-like design makes it difficult to place objects on top of it.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

But it’s not all bad news. The Lenovo has significant ergonomic adjustment which includes height, tilt, and swivel. It can even pivot into portrait orientation. These features can’t be taken for granted in a budget monitor, as many are limited to tilt adjustment. A standard 100x100mm VESA mount is available, too, for attaching a third-party monitor stand or arm.

While the stand has many ergonomic adjustments, it attaches to the monitor’s display panel with screws instead of employing a more convenient quick-release mechanism. The monitor ships with thumbscrews that can be turned by hand, at least, so a screwdriver isn’t necessary to set up the monitor.

The display has an aggressive 1500R curvature. This curvature is noticeable but doesn’t feel overwhelming due to the monitor’s smaller 27-inch size. Personally, I’m not a fan of curved designs on a 27-inch monitor, as I don’t find it adds much to immersion—but it’s a matter of taste.

Lenovo Legion R27fc-30 connectivity

There isn’t much to discuss when it comes to connectivity on the Lenovo Legion R27fc-30. The monitor ships with two HDMI 2.1 ports and one DisplayPort 1.4, providing a total of three video inputs. All video inputs support the monitor’s maximum refresh rate of 280Hz at its full resolution.

Beyond that, the monitor includes a single 3.5mm audio jack, and that’s it—there are no USB ports. I think all monitors should have at least a couple USB ports, I consider this a miss. However, many budget monitors omit USB ports.

Lenovo Legion R27fc-30 menu and features

Like most monitors, the Lenovo Legion R27fc-30 features a joystick for controlling the on-screen menu, located discreetly on the right-hand side of the monitor. The joystick is responsive, and the menus are logically arranged, making navigation easy. This is notable, as many budget monitors have clunky, hard-to-use menu systems. That’s especially true of monitors from budget-oriented brands like Spectre, Innocn, and KTC.

When it comes to options, though, the Legion is barebones. The monitor offers basic controls for refresh rate and pixel response time, which allow for fine-tuning motion clarity. In terms of image quality adjustments, you’ll find settings for presets, brightness, contrast, and color saturation. The monitor lacks more advanced adjustments, such as fine-grained controls for color temperature, gamma, and full color calibration.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

A pair of three-watt speakers provide built-in audio. They’re reasonably loud and clear (traits that make them better than average for this price point) but lack the low-end required to handle music and games well. Most owners will want to use a headset or external speakers.

Lenovo Legion R27fc-30 image quality

The Lenovo Legion R27fc-30 has a Vertical Alignment (VA panel), a type of panel technology that’s especially popular among budget and mid-range monitors. VA panels aren’t always the best in terms of color performance, but they do well in contrast, which is good news for the Legion’s SDR performance.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

First up, though, is brightness. Here the Lenovo Legion R27fc-30 performs well, as it hit a maximum sustained SDR brightness of 353 nits. That’s towards the high end for a budget monitor and certainly bright enough to use in most rooms.

There’s one caveat here. The monitor’s curve can focus the light from lamps or windows that sit opposite the monitor (or, in other words, behind the viewer). That could be a problem if you plan to use the monitor in a room with light sources that can’t be moved.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Contrast is the big strength of a Vertical Alignment (VA) panel, and the Lenovo Legion R27fc-30 capitalizes on it with a measured contrast ratio of 6030:1 at 50 percent brightness. That’s a great result for any budget or mid-range monitor and it leads to a more immersive, alluring image with respectable shadow detail.

This is a major difference between the Legion and competitors that use IPS panels, such as the Gigabyte M27QA ICE and Pixio PX248 Wave. IPS panels tend to show a distracting “IPS glow” in dark scenes, which is the result of light from the monitor’s backlight leaking through the display panel. VA panels don’t entirely conquer this, but they’re much better and don’t appear to have a glow unless used in a room that’s nearly pitch black.